Tornadoes · United States · Wisconsin

Tornadoes in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin

59 tornadoes have crossed Fond du Lac County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 5th of the 72 counties in Wisconsin with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.3 years. They have killed 4 people and injured 80. 2 were rated F4 or EF4 and above, 1 at the top of the scale.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Now

Tornadoes
59
Deaths
4
Injuries
80
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
F5, July 18, 1996

The deadliest in Fond du Lac County

  1. F3, Dodge, Fond du Lac and Sheboygan counties, WisconsinApril 21, 19742 killed, 18 injured
  2. F3, Green Lake and Fond du Lac counties, WisconsinJune 23, 20041 killed, 1 injured
  3. F2, Calumet and Fond du Lac counties, WisconsinJuly 18, 19961 killed, 1 injured

The strongest

  1. F5 Oakfield tornado, WisconsinJuly 18, 1996F5, 13.3 mi (21 km)
  2. F4, Fond du Lac and Winnebago counties, WisconsinApril 21, 1974F4, 26.0 mi (42 km)
  3. F3, Fond du Lac, Dodge, Washington and Waukesha counties, WisconsinJune 5, 1977F3, 69.5 mi (112 km)
  4. F3, Dodge, Fond du Lac and Sheboygan counties, WisconsinApril 21, 1974F3, 58.6 mi (94 km)
  5. F3, Green Lake, Dodge and Fond du Lac counties, WisconsinJune 23, 2004F3, 33.3 mi (54 km)
  6. F3, Dodge and Fond du Lac counties, WisconsinApril 21, 1974F3, 22.2 mi (36 km)
  7. F3, Green Lake and Fond du Lac counties, WisconsinJune 23, 2004F3, 7.6 mi (12 km)
  8. F2, Green Lake and Fond du Lac counties, WisconsinAugust 19, 1968F2, 28.7 mi (46 km)
  9. F2, Columbia, Green Lake and Fond du Lac counties, WisconsinJune 8, 1993F2, 28.0 mi (45 km)
  10. F2, Fond du Lac and Sheboygan counties, WisconsinSeptember 22, 1961F2, 12.6 mi (20 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 34 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Fond du Lac County. Each year links to every tornado in Wisconsin that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261EF0
201811EF2
20171EF0
20161EF1
20112EF1
20061F0
20051F0
2004311F3
20032F1
20023F1
20001F0
19966113F5
19931F2
199011F2
19891F0
19861F2
19851F1
19841F1
19831F0
19811F1
19802F1
19791F0
197718F3
19743253F4
19731F1
19721F1
196812F2
19671F1
19651F1
196422F2
19621F2
19611F2
19601F0
19541F2

Every tornado that crossed Fond du Lac County

59 tornadoes, newest first. The 1 at the top is this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and its rating is marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 10, 20263:10 PM CDTEF0Fond du Lac0.975
August 28, 20184:30 PM CDTEF0Fond du Lac0.080
August 28, 20184:27 PM CDTEF1Fond du Lac4.0100
August 28, 20184:22 PM CDTEF1Fond du Lac4.590
August 28, 20184:16 PM CDTEF1Fond du Lac2.8100
August 28, 20184:11 PM CDTEF1Fond du Lac0.180
August 28, 20184:11 PM CDTEF2Fond du Lac3.9150$169,000
August 28, 20184:09 PM CDTEF1Fond du Lac0.9100
August 28, 20184:08 PM CDTEF0Fond du Lac0.150
August 28, 20184:04 PM CDTEF1Fond du Lac4.4100
August 28, 20184:00 PM CDTEF0Fond du Lac0.650
August 28, 20183:55 PM CDTEF1Fond du Lac4.6175
June 12, 20177:21 PM CDTEF0Fond du Lac2.150$7,000
May 27, 20165:35 PM CDTEF1Fond du Lac4.5330$100,000
June 21, 20113:36 PM CDTEF1Fond du Lac0.9100$15,000
June 21, 20113:21 PM CDTEF1Fond du Lac2.6150$30,000
July 3, 20061:28 PM CDTF0Fond du Lac0.110
May 6, 20054:29 PM CDTF0Fond du Lac0.250
June 23, 20049:10 PM CDTF1Washington7.6150$110,000
June 23, 20048:35 PM CDTF3Green Lake7.630011$2.3 million
June 23, 20048:33 PM CDTF3Green Lake33.3400$15 million
July 6, 20035:43 PM CDTF1Washington0.840$20,000
June 8, 20032:33 PM CDTF0Fond du Lac30.01
September 2, 20029:30 PM CDTF1Fond du Lac0.375$750,000
September 2, 20029:06 PM CDTF0Fond du Lac0.130
August 21, 20026:41 PM CDTF0Fond du Lac0.630
June 1, 20006:15 PM CDTF0Fond du Lac0.120
July 18, 19967:55 PM CDTF0Fond du Lac0.150
July 18, 19967:27 PM CDTF0Fond du Lac0.250$100,000
July 18, 19967:25 PM CDTF0Fond du Lac0.650
July 18, 19967:07 PM CDTF0Fond du Lac1.275
July 18, 19967:05 PM CDTF2Calumet6.420011$450,000
July 18, 19967:05 PM CDTF5Oakfield tornado13.340012$40 million
June 8, 19935:26 PM CDTF2Columbia28.01,000$50,000 to $500,000
June 2, 19904:00 PM CDTF2Fond du Lac1.01001$500,000 to $5 million
May 24, 198910:25 PM CDTF0Fond du Lac0.250$5,000 to $50,000
June 11, 19863:50 PM CDTF2Fond du Lac8.0100$50,000 to $500,000
May 11, 198512:36 AM CDTF1Fond du Lac0.150$50,000 to $500,000
October 16, 198411:30 PM CDTF1Fond du Lac0.520$50,000 to $500,000
June 15, 19835:00 PM CDTF0Fond du Lac0.150under $50
July 20, 19811:05 PM CDTF1Fond du Lac0.110$5,000 to $50,000
August 4, 19809:20 PM CDTF1Fond du Lac0.467$50,000 to $500,000
June 5, 198010:42 PM CDTF1Fond du Lac8.710$500 to $5,000
August 9, 19796:20 PM CDTF0Fond du Lac0.110
June 5, 19779:30 PM CDTF3Fond du Lac69.54008$500,000 to $5 million
April 21, 19744:30 PM CDTF3Dodge58.6200218$500,000 to $5 million
April 21, 19744:00 PM CDTF3Dodge22.2200$500,000 to $5 million
April 21, 19743:40 PM CDTF4Fond du Lac26.020035$500,000 to $5 million
March 11, 197310:30 AM CSTF1Calumet2.050$5,000 to $50,000
July 14, 19723:45 PM CDTF1Fond du Lac1.350$5,000 to $50,000
August 19, 19689:00 PM GMT-5F2Green Lake28.7502$5,000 to $50,000
July 23, 19672:10 AM GMT-5F1Fond du Lac6.5100$50,000 to $500,000
May 15, 196510:00 PM GMT-5F1Fond du Lac0.8150$5,000 to $50,000
August 22, 19644:15 PM GMT-5F2Fond du Lac1.0500$50,000 to $500,000
August 22, 19642:55 PM GMT-5F2Fond du Lac2.0102$500 to $5,000
June 17, 19627:00 PM GMT-5F2Fond du Lac1.010$5,000 to $50,000
September 22, 19612:00 PM GMT-5F2Fond du Lac12.6300$5,000 to $50,000
May 21, 19606:14 PM GMT-5F0Fond du Lac2.010
April 7, 195412:30 PM GMT-6F2Fond du Lac1.933$500 to $5,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Fond du Lac CountyThe forecast for Fond du Lac CountyThe live radar over Fond du Lac CountyEvery county in Wisconsin

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.